


Jealousy

by chartreuseblueandyellow



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 19:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24821176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chartreuseblueandyellow/pseuds/chartreuseblueandyellow
Summary: “You’re a great guy Billy -” he gave a small chuckle, knowing from her words and tone where she was going, “- but I think I’ve moved on.”He nodded, taking it gracefully, but after a pause a thoughtful look came over his face.“It’s because of MacGyver isn’t it?”She stared at him.… What?
Relationships: Riley Davis & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Riley Davis/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016)
Comments: 69
Kudos: 215





	1. Billy

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is set sometime between her moving in with Mac but before she really realises her feelings for him (I know when she moves in she already kinda knows but please, for the sake of my plot, ignore that).  
> I LOVE the trope of someone running into their ex and the ex thinks that they're a couple with someone else when they're not. Also, was it just me, but I actually liked Billy? Like obviously I'm glad we got the macriley hug out of it but I feel like the cheating thing just came out of nowhere?  
> Also it was SO fun writing jealous Mac but tbh I’m not sure if it’s completely in character or not.  
> Anyway, always excited to hear from you guys so let me know what you think!  
> Enjoy :)

Matty had sent her and Mac on a mission. A former NSA agent had skipped his bail, though because it had only been half an hour, they assumed he would be going home to pack and leave the country.  
Through his normal improvisations, Mac silently opened the locked and bolted front door and upon entering, they heard slight sounds coming from a room on the other side of the apartment.  
Mac whispered to her.  
“You secure his laptop so he doesn’t send that information out and I’ll go get him.”  
She nodded and made her way to the laptop which was sitting packed on the counter, the man clearly getting ready to flee.

Apparently Mac’s stealth wasn’t the best because in a sudden burst of noise Riley heard someone thundering down the fire escape, Mac swearing, and then someone else following the first. Riley shrugged. She was sure Mac had it covered.  
And anyway, there were more pressing matters at hand. The state secrets the agent had stolen were being uploaded and Riley had to stop it before foreign governments had access.  
She quickly typed out the programme which would stop it and after that was successfully done, she transferred the files onto her hard drive and made sure to clear it completely from his.

Because she made it so that the programme could run itself, it just needed time, Riley decided to look around for any other electronics he might have when she heard footsteps coming up to the front door.  
Her first thought was that it was Mac though, when she realised it wasn’t his tread a split-second later, his advice of ‘improvise’ echoed in her head and she picked up a chair ready to bash it over the intruders head.  
The door, which they had closed behind them, burst open to reveal…  
Billy?  
He froze in the doorway, just as surprised to see her.  
“Riley!?”  
Well this was unexpected. 

Billy opened his mouth, about to say something, but his eyes went to the chair she was holding.  
“You can put that down now. Clearly I won’t hurt you.”

She scoffed but put it down, unable to help her response.  
“You already did.”

He threw his hands up in the air.  
“No I haven’t! I -”

She had bottled it up then but she couldn’t do it now.  
“I know you were seeing someone else okay!”

He viciously shook his head.  
“I wasn’t! I was -”

“Don’t lie! I saw the messages and photos!”  
At this point they were practically yelling at each other and Riley wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbors came to check, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“She was a skip!”  
In her anger, it took a while for what he said to sink in. But when it did... well _that_ shut her up.

“Wait... _what?_ ”

“She was a skip! She was a jewel thief who’d evaded arrest for almost five years so I was pretending to get closer to her so that we could meet up and I could arrest her!”

She froze, not knowing what to say or think. Had he really been innocent all this time or was he just making up an excuse to make himself look better?  
Seeing the uncertainty in her face, he slowly walked closer to her while pulling out his phone.  
“Did you see a photo of her? Do you know what she looks like?”

The half naked photo the women had sent to her then boyfriend? Yup. Riley, unfortunately, had that woman's face ingrained in her mind.  
“Yup.”

Looking through his phone for something, he explained to her.  
“I only realised after you broke it off what you must’ve seen, so when we arrested her, I made sure to take a photo to prove it to you but you never answered any of my calls or texts so I couldn't explain.”  
Finding what he had been looking for, he held up his phone to her.  
And there, like he had said, was the woman who Riley thought Billy had cheated on her with wearing handcuffs and being taken into a cell. 

Taking advantage of her silence (she had no idea what to say or feel at this stunning revelation) he continued talking.  
“If you didn’t want to be with me, fine, but I couldn’t stand knowing that you thought so badly of me. I went to your house a few times to explain but when I didn’t find you there, I even went to MacGyver’s house.”

“You did?”

“Yup. He told me you weren’t there but, to be honest, he didn’t seem happy _at all_ to see me.”

Riley gave a sheepish smile.  
“Yeah, about that. He may have been the one person I told that you cheated on me,” and seeing that he was about to argue added, “well, I _thought_ you cheated on me.”

Billy nodded.  
“Yeah I figured. He was pretty pissed and told me that you deserve someone much better than an unfaithful ass who thinks he can do better than you.”  
Riley couldn’t help the small smile that came over her face. Sure she knew now that she, and therefore Mac, had been wrong about Billy but it was always nice knowing that Mac had her back.  
A slightly confused look came over Billy’s face as he added, “he also mumbled something about knowing that I wasn’t gonna last very long but I don’t know what that meant.”  
Riley didn’t know either. But a more pressing matter was at hand.

“I’m so sorry Billy”  
He stopped putting his phone away and looked at her.  
“I'm not apologising for assuming that you were cheating, I feel like that was fair given the circumstances -” he gave an understanding nod, “- but I'm sorry that, because I didn't give you the chance to explain, I've wrongly thought really badly of you since then.”

He gave a small smile at her frankness.  
“Of course you're forgiven but really, I should be the one saying I'm sorry, because I really am Riley. Forgive me?”

She sensed his genuine regret and she replied,  
“Of course.”

Seeing her smile, his expressions relaxed as well and after a pause he hesitantly looked at her.  
“Timing’s probably not great but... even since then… I’ve always had a special place in my heart for you Riley Davis. Do you wanna maybe…-” he rubbed the back of his neck, “- try things again?”

Riley froze, unsure of what to say. Now that she knew Billy was a good guy it wouldn’t hurt to try, after all, it had been a while since Aubrey.  
And maybe if they’d had this clear-up earlier she would’ve said yes but, in that moment she realised that she just didn’t feel that way about him anymore.  
“You’re a great guy Billy -” he gave a small chuckle, knowing from her words and tone where she was going, “- but I think I’ve moved on.”

He nodded, taking it gracefully, but after a pause a thoughtful look came over his face.  
“It’s because of MacGyver isn’t it?”

She stared at him.  
… What?  
“... Because of… Mac?”

Apparently not sensing her _immense_ confusion he carried on.  
“Yeah I know you guys are pretty close, like it was obvious whenever I saw the two of you together, but it definitely seemed there was more to him just being a protective friend when he warned me to never come near you again.”

“He...he said that?”  
Riley could _not_ imagine the kind-hearted, overly caring (though he tried to hide it at times) Mac being so harsh.

Billy just chuckled.  
“Yup. Word for word.”

Riley shook her head. Mac had been so calm and reassuring when she had told him all that time ago that Billy had (well she thought anyway) cheated on her. He had probably sensed that that was what she had needed in the moment but if he really was angry he had hidden it well.  
But surely Mac threatening Billy was just a protective friend rather than a jealous one? She shook her head.  
“There’s nothing happening between me and Mac.”

Billy looked surprised then slightly sheepish and gave an awkward chuckle.  
“There’s not?”  
She shook her head and he scratched his face still feeling embarrassed about coming to the wrong conclusion.  
“I just… I don’t know. I felt like there was something more there but clearly I’m wrong.”  
Riley didn’t know what to feel. Did the fact that her ex, someone who had known her well, assuming that she and Mac were a couple mean or say something about her relationship with Mac?

Riley was so focused on the conversation with Billy that she only realised Mac had come back when he was standing in the open doorway.  
Billy, whose back was to the door, didn’t realise and Riley saw Mac’s expression go from surprise to understanding why Billy was probably there and finally, with his eyes, he asked her if she was okay.  
She nodded, grateful at his concern, and it was only at that movement that Billy realised someone was behind him.  
And in an instant the softness that had been in Mac’s face as he looked at her went away and he gave the other man a cold nod.  
“Billy.”

“MacGyver.”

Riley glanced in surprise and slight confusion between the two males. Confusion because she hadn’t expected such a cold greeting between the two and surprise because she didn’t think she’d ever seen Mac with a stoic, tough alpha male act.  
He was all those things (though only stoic to those he wasn’t close with) but he always looked down on the guys who played up that act to try and make themselves look tougher and assert their dominance. The fact he was doing that now was slightly strange to Riley.  
Billy was definitely the more built of the two but Mac was holding his own perfectly fine. Riley even thought that Billy looked slightly intimidated and she had to wonder if Mac had said more to Billy when he had showed up at Mac’s doorstep all that time ago. 

Mac made his way from the door, walked wordlessly past Billy and stood close to her side.  
Billy gave her a pointed look as if asking ‘you sure there’s nothing going on here?’  
She shook her head, still surprised by this stoic, protective Mac who was glaring at Billy.  
“Here for the NSA agent?”

“Yup.”

“Well you’re not needed anymore. He’s stuck in quicksand in a large recycle bin and will only be able to get out when I let him out.”  
Billy just looked thoroughly confused and Riley had to smile. While Mac’s inventions were happening they seemed natural but if, like now, you only heard the ending, they did sound quite strange. 

Feeling like she should tell Mac the truth about Billy so he’d tone down the alpha male-ness she placed a gentle hand on his arm and was surprised at how tense he was.  
“You should know, Billy didn’t actually cheat on me, he was luring a skip in to arrest her.”

He looked surprised but as he glanced at Billy who was nodding, saying it was true, mistrust filled his expression and he looked back to her.  
“I don’t know Riles, that sounds like a bullshit excuse to me.”

Billy looked annoyed but Riley didn’t care about that. She was, quite frankly, shocked at how her kind and well-mannered Mac was so rude but she gave his arm a light squeeze.  
“He has proof.”

“I thought getting Riley to believe me would be the hard part but I can show you too I guess.”

Mac just glared sternly and silently at Billy and the sarcasm in his voice before turning to her.  
“You believe him?”

“Yeah I do.”  
He read her facial expressions and seeing that she was sincere, his expression softened and he nodded.

Knowing that Billy hadn’t actually cheated on her hadn’t made Mac any less cold towards him like Riley thought it would’ve which was clear as Mac’s expression hardened again as he turned to Billy and said,  
“The decent thing to have done in that situation would've been to, at the very least, let her know that you had to do that.”

Billy sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck.  
“Yeah, I really should’ve.”

Mac rolled his eyes.  
“Great. Glad we've cleared up that, while you’re not a horrible person, you’re still not great.”  
Billy frowned but before he could say anything Mac continued.  
“Let’s get the agent into custody so we can go home. I’m hungry and feel like pasta.”

Riley couldn’t help but laugh and she nudged his shoulder.  
“Nuh uh. After the last time? I’ll make the pasta, you stick to microwaving some popcorn.”  
He chuckled, having nearly blown up the stove last time, and agreed.  
Riley picked up the agent’s laptop and she was wondering if they should bring a towel to save the inside of their car from the quicksand when a voice interrupted them. 

“Hold up.”  
She and Mac looked at Billy, whose gaze flicked between the two of them before landing on her with an even more pointed look.  
“Y’all are living together?”

Ah. Riley could see how that would seem to Billy but before she could say anything, Mac gruffly replied.  
“Yeah, what’s it to you?”

Riley shook her head, not wanting Billy to get the wrong idea again.  
“No. Because of… situations… I didn’t have a place to stay so I’m just staying at Mac's until I find a new place.”

Billy clearly didn’t believe her.  
“Uh huh.”

There was a slightly awkward pause and Riley cleared her throat though she didn’t know what to say. Mac, as always, had her back.  
“Well. This was fun but if I don’t get the agent out of his temporary holding place he might suffocate and we need to bring him in alive, so Riles and I should probably go deal with him.”

She nodded, glad to be leaving what had turned into a slightly awkward situation.  
“It was unexpected, but actually pretty nice seeing you Billy and to clear things up.”  
Billy nodded and gave her a small smile and placing a hand on her back, Mac ushered her towards the front door.

She turned to give Billy a parting smile and saw his eyes move up from where Mac’s hand was to meet her gaze. He raised an eyebrow.  
It was actually pretty common for Mac to do that but Riley realised, especially given all that had just happened, what it probably looked like to Billy.  
She couldn’t say anything to him though because she and Mac had left the room and only after they were out of sight of the open door did Mac move his hand.

They walked quietly along the hallway but after some time Riley had to ask.  
“What was all that about?”

They walked down the stairs to the ground floor of the apartment building and Mac glanced at her before looking back up.  
“I don’t like him.”

She chuckled.  
“Yeah I figured. You could’ve given Jack a run for his money when it comes to acting around guys in my life.”

Mac smiled.  
“Oh no. If Jack were here when Billy cheated on you -”

“He didn’t actually cheat on me.”

“- maybe not but he should’ve told you the situation. Anyway, if Jack were here then Billy would be seriously injured, if not dead.”

“Jack probably would’ve done that but from what I heard -” she gave him a sideways glance, “- you threatened to do the same.”

They had reached the entrance and as they walked out Mac put a hand on her back to guide her in the alleyway up ahead.  
“What did Billy tell you?”

“That you told him not to come near me again which I appreciate -” she reached out and squeezed the arm which he had moved away from her back, “- but I can handle myself you know. In fact, you were always the one telling Jack that.”

Mac chuckled.  
“Yeah I think I did tell him that a few times, and seriously Riles, I’ve known you for long enough to have no doubt that you can handle yourself but the thing is -” he smiled at her, “- you don’t have to all the time.”

She squeezed his arm again and gave him a grin.  
“Well, I can handle myself but I always appreciate you having my back Mac.”

He grinned back.  
“Of course I do Riles. Also, what would you have done if the roles were reversed and I was hurting because my girlfriend cheated on me?”

Riley didn’t need to think about it and chuckled as she answered.  
“I’d connect her DNA and fingerprints to every unsolved homicide and when she’s locked up I’d wipe her memory from existence.”

Mac laughed.  
“Yeah exactly -” and nudging her shoulder with his added, “- I’m glad you have my back too.”

“Of course.”

Their warm moment of stillness was interrupted by banging and muffled yelling coming from the inside of a large bin in front of them which had been tied shut with multiple cords and looked like it was leaking sand from the bottom.  
Riley raised her eyebrows, impressed.  
“You got him pretty good huh?”

Mac laughed.  
“Yeah. How about we get him out of his misery though?”  
She laughed and nodded and, together, they went to free the man.


	2. Aubrey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I still care about you Riley but -” his eyes flicked from Mac back to her, “- I feel like you don’t feel the same.”  
> It took Riley a moment to process what he was implying but when it hit her, she couldn’t help but groan.  
> Not this again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing jealous Mac and apparently you guys did too (thanks so much for your comments!) so here’s round 2! (I also apologise for the lateness, I admit a bit of writer's block hit me).  
> I didn’t want to get the mac and desi complications in this story so just imagine, for the sake of this fic, they’ve had a mutual breakup and are just friends and co-workers now.  
> I LOVE hearing from you guys so let me know what you think :)  
> Enjoy!

They were in the war room, Matty giving a debriefing after a mission that had, surprisingly, gone pretty well.  
Her laptop dinged in front of her and Riley picked it up to check out what happened. She looked through a few things and suddenly realised what the notification was.  
“Um guys, this ain’t good.”

Matty, Bozer, Desi and Mac all turned to her.  
“What is it Riles?”

“I’ve been hacked.”

A chorus of surprised exclamations sounded from around the room and not looking up from her screen, she filled them in.  
“I put in a programme that would let me know if anyone tried to get past the security on my system, but this hacker is so good that they got past my system and it’s only now letting me know that that happened.”

“Can you tell who it was?”  
Riley didn’t answer Matty right away, instead trying to figure that out for herself. A few minutes of silence passed, as everyone waited for her to do her thing but at last she found a signature in the code.

“This isn’t good. It’s a guy called Cyclops27 and I knew him from my hacker days. He’s dangerous and ruthless.”

“How dangerous?”

“He wanted to recruit another hacker for a big job but when she refused he broke into her house, kidnapped her, and gave her no choice but to do the job.”

“Probably not the best way to recruit new staff.”

Matty, ignoring Bozer, said, “why is he targeting you?”

“The girl he kidnapped was a friend of mine. Eventually I managed to expose him, get him sent to jail, and save my friend.”

Mac shot her a proud grin. “Safe to say you were a good guy before you joined Phoenix.”

She grinned back then turned to Desi who added, “also safe to say that he doesn’t like you very much.”

Matty interrupted.  
“Can you tell what he looked at?”

She tapped a few keys and from an overview, saw what part of her file he had gone into.  
“My address.”

Bozer laughed.  
“Mac’s installed so many safeguards because of all the previous people who broke in before so even if this Cyclops gets in, he won’t get very far.”

Everyone laughed, because it was true, but before she could join in, she clicked into the file he had looked into and as she glanced at it, dread filled her.  
“Oh no.”

Bozer chuckled. “Seriously Riley, it’s all goods, we’re -”

“Riles?”  
Mac could sense that something was very wrong and she looked up to meet his worried gaze.

“With everything else going on, I haven’t changed my address yet.”

Mac instantly realised what she was getting at.  
“Oh no.”

The smile was wiped off Bozer’s face as he also realised something was up.  
“What’s wrong?”

Not quite trusting herself to speak, she nodded at Mac who said, “before she lived with me, Riles lived with Aubrey in his apartment which he still lives in.”

Understanding dawned on Bozer’s face.  
“Oh. That ain’t good.”

Matty looked at Riley.  
“I agree with Bozer. Can you tell how long it’s been since he saw the address?”

She looked through a few things and her heart filled with dread.  
“It’s been almost half an hour.”

“OK. All of you head over to Aubrey’s apartment right now.”  
Following Matty’s orders, they all ran off to a vehicle and as soon as they had got in, her and Mac at the back and Bozer at the front, Desi hit the gas.

Riley was silent, not being able to stop all the thoughts and what-ifs going on in her head.  
Seeing how in her mind she was getting, Bozer tried to lighten the mood.  
“Maybe, after we save him, he’ll let us eat at his restaurant for free!”

Desi, sensing what he was doing, added with a smile, “well, I can’t lie, the food wasn’t that great.”

Riley forced a small smile, appreciating it, but she just wasn’t in the mood right now.  
From her side Mac nudged her and whispered, “it’s not your fault you know.”

She was grateful that Mac knew her well enough to know what was going on in her head but she had to disagree with him.  
“Of course it’s my fault, if I had never met him, he wouldn’t be in danger right now.”

There was a pause and she looked at Mac who, after thinking for a bit, replied.  
“With our line of work, there’ll always be some danger, we know that, but we also can’t let that stop us from trying to have a life. You can’t blame yourself for wanting that Riles.”

She knew he was right but still felt bad.  
“If only I had just changed the address.”

He stayed silent for a moment before replying.  
“Obviously it would’ve been great if you did but you didn’t, and you can’t do anything about it now. But what you _can_ do is focus on getting Aubrey out of this mess.”  
She gave him a small smile, grateful that he had steadied her thoughts, and returning it, Mac added, “when that's done, and once we have some beer and ice cream, we can play the blame game and drown our sorrows in alcohol and sugar.”

She laughed, feeling like some of the weight had come off her shoulders.  
“Sounds like a plan.”

As they pulled up behind Aubrey’s apartment, Desi drastically slowed down the car to be as quiet as possible. There was a SUV parked outside.  
“Is that Aubrey’s?”  
Riley shook her head at Desi and, assuming that Cyclops and his men were already there, they all moved quickly and quietly to the front door.

It was shut but as Desi quietly tried the handle they found it was unlocked and they heard slight scuffling sounds.  
Desi opened the door and was followed by Mac, herself then Bozer. The wall at the entrance let their presence remain hidden for a while longer and they heard a voice say,  
“I checked the bedroom and bathroom. It seems like this guy was telling the truth about her not living here anymore.”

Another, much rougher voice replied, “well it’s a shame. I guess we don’t need this guy anymore.”  
Riley gave Mac and Desi a panicked look and a second later Desi nodded and they burst into the room. 

The five men stared at the sudden movement and, taking advantage of their surprise, they moved quickly. Desi automatically made her way to the two big guys, one of them Cyclops, standing by Aubrey. That left her, Mac and Bozer with a man each.  
Her opponent was actually pretty similar to her in stature but she could tell he had some serious fight training.  
He also had a gun.

She ran to him, picking up a metal try on the way, and used it to bat the outstretched gun away from him. He tried to reach for it but she smashed the tray against his head.  
He stumbled back but managed to get the tray out of her hands and threw it away. She stepped forward to trip him up but stumbled back as she caught a solid punch on her shoulder instead of her face.  
He started reaching for his gun again but she gave him a solid punch in the gut and as he instinctively started curling up slightly in pain, she drove her knee up to meet his face.  
He fell to the ground and, for good measure, she picked up the vase from the table and smashed it on top of his head.  
He was out cold. 

Mac had just taken his opponent out (was that a homemade lasso?) and Riley could tell he was about to go to help Bozer who was trying to fight his.  
Desi was still fighting the two men, though one looked like he was about to drop any second, and their fight had somehow led them to the other side of the room. Seeing that Aubrey was now clear, she ran towards him but stopped, slightly confused as Aubrey, not being able to speak because of the gag, made faces at her.  
Movement behind her caused her to turn and she stepped back as Mac swung the lasso around the man Bozer had been fighting and who had just tried to knock her out from behind. 

His arms were pinned to his side but at the rate he was struggling to get out, she knew the lasso wouldn't hold him for long.  
Mac was doing everything to hold it in place so Riley quickly looked around and ran to grab the heavy brass elephant statue that was on the counter.  
Knowing what was coming the man struggled harder to get out of the hold Mac had him in but quickly and efficiently, Riley swung the statue into the side of his head.  
She stepped to the side as Mac finally let the lasso go and, unconscious, the man felt flat onto his face.  
Mac grinned at her.  
“Quick thinking Riles.”

She grinned back.  
“Nice lasso.”  
A loud crash sounded and they turned to look as the last guy (that Desi had been against) was thrown through the coffee table and knocked unconscious.

Sure that they were out of harm's way, Riley ran over to Aubrey and, as Mac tossed her his swiss army knife, began taking off the tape holding him to the chair, all the while whispering ‘I’m sorry’ over and over again.  
Aubrey was shaking and after she took the gag off of him she wrapped him in a tight hug. He hugged back even tighter.  
His voice shaky, Aubrey whispered in her ear, “I’m scared to think what would’ve happened if you hadn’t arrived when you did.”

She hugged him tighter.  
“I’m _so so_ sorry Aubrey.”  
They stayed like that for a while longer before Riley finally let go and Aubrey gave her a small, watery smile which she returned. Wiping the mistiness away from her eyes, she turned to face the others. Desi and Bozer looked relieved that Aubrey was okay but as her gaze met Mac’s, he turned to the intruders before she could determine what the look on his face was. 

The men were starting to gain consciousness and Riley walked towards some drawers as Mac started talking.  
“I’ll need some -”  
He stopped to catch the cords and duct tape she chucked at him.  
“Thanks Riles.”

“Damn girl, it’s convenient you knew where they were.”

Riley just gave Bozer a look. “I used to live here.”

He gave a sheepish smile in return. “Ah. Of course.”  
Shaking her head, and seeing Mac doing the same from the corner of her eye, she walked back to Aubrey. 

Mac tied up the man closest to him then tossed the tape to Desi.  
He made his way over to her and Aubrey, concern filled the questioning look directed at her. Riley gave him a grateful smile and touched his arm as soon as he was close enough.  
"I'm fine Mac, I promise."

Looking at her for a while longer and seeing she was genuine, he nodded and turned to Aubrey.  
"Glad you're okay man."  
Aubrey gave a small smile and nodded in response.  
Mac nodded back then turned back to her.  
“We should probably go talk to this Cyclops guy.”

Riley paused. Aubrey was still very clearly shaken up about the whole ordeal and that was enough to make her want to stay with him and, since everything that had happened to him was all her fault, she really didn't want to leave him alone right now.  
Mac, as always, seemed to know exactly where her mind was because after studying her expression, he gently said, “it's okay Riles, we got it.”  
She gave him a small grateful smile and, as he turned to leave, he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.  
Riley knew it was to remind her that it wasn't her fault and that he had her back so she placed her own hand over his in thanks. 

Mac walked off a moment later and she turned back to Aubrey. He glanced up from her shoulder and had a look that Riley couldn't quite discern what it meant.  
He paused for a moment before reaching out to grab her hand. Riley didn't mind the touch but she was surprised by it.  
“I'm so glad you came when you did.”

She pat his hand.  
“Of course I came.”

“I wasn't sure if you would, after, y’know, the last conversation we had.”

Riley couldn't help but be surprised.  
“I know we broke up Aubrey but I would never not help if I know you're in danger.”  
Aubrey looked at her for a while before speaking again 

“I didn’t break up with you because I no longer care but because constant secrets aren’t good for a relationship,” she nodded in agreement and he continued, “I still care about you Riley but -” his eyes flicked from Mac back to her, “- I feel like you don’t feel the same.”  
It took Riley a moment to process what he was implying but when it hit her, she couldn’t help but groan.  
Not this again.

But as exasperated as she was, Riley couldn’t help but feel slightly rattled. It was now two of her ex’s who thought that her and Mac were together or had serious feelings for each other. That was two more than what was normal.  
Though they were partly right. Riley could admit (only to herself) that she was having some feelings about Mac but since it would probably ruin the relationship they had, and Riley was sure Mac didn’t feel the same, she suppressed those feelings.  
She also didn’t admit them to anyone else.

“I don’t like Mac _that_ way if that’s what you’re implying.”

Aubrey paused, as if recalling something.  
“I was always confused why, when we were in the trunk of that car, you called Mac instead of the police or, as I was thinking about it after you told me everything, your boss. I feel like this explains that.”

“Well Mac was closer so he could get us out of there the fastest. Also,” she paused, thinking of how to put it into words without making it sound like she had feelings for him, “he’s gotten us out of so many tight spots. I trust him with my life and know he’ll do whatever it takes to help me out if I’m in trouble. We’re very close but not in the way you’re thinking.”  
Riley knew she sounded defensive but it was the truth.

Aubrey looked at her in thought and then to Mac. He dropped her hand and Riley saw something in his expression so turned as well and saw Mac keeping an eye on them. The only way to describe how he was looking at Aubrey was with a glare.  
Protective Mac strikes again apparently.  
Aubrey looked away, apparently not able to win the staring competition with ‘stoic alpha male Mac’ and looked back at her.  
“Well, you might not feel anything for him but I think he does for you.”

Riley stilled. Did Aubrey really think so?  
She had honestly never considered it a possibility because what were the chances that the man she had known for years, was starting to fall in love with (and a man who _surely_ saw her as a sister?), would like her back?  
Though, admittedly, she had started thinking a bit about it after she and Mac had encountered Billy because it had almost seemed like Mac had been jealous.  
But she hadn’t let herself get her hopes up and reassured herself that he was just being a protective friend.  
But now that Aubrey was thinking the same thing...  
Riley pushed down the rising hope and hid her thoughts with a small chuckle.  
“We’re definitely close but I don't think he likes me like that.”

Aubrey looked at her with an eyebrow raised, slightly disbelieving, then rolled his eyes and shook his head as Mac walked over and stood right by her side.  
“Everything good here?”

“Yup.”

Mac nodded at Aubrey then looked back at her.  
“We talked to Cyclops, real name Matthew Jacobs by the way, and he basically confirmed what you had said.”

“Why did he target me?”

Riley looked at Aubrey apologetically.  
“He wasn't targeting you. I uh -" she glanced at Mac who gave her a reassuring look and back at Aubrey, "I forgot to change my address, so he thought I still lived here."  
Understanding dawned on Aubrey's face as she continued.  
"He came here for me, not for you."

He paused for a moment before talking.  
“I know I said that I didn’t like that you were a secret government agent -”

Mac scoffed and she and Aubrey looked at him.  
“Yeah, well considering the fact that it’s her job that saved you, you should probably thank her.”

“ _As I was saying_ -” he glared at Mac before looking back at her, “- I know I said I didn’t like your job but seriously Riley -” he grabbed her hand again, “- thanks for saving me.”

Riley shot Mac a glare, telling him to stand down, and after he loosened up at her look, she turned back to Aubrey and smiled.  
“Well it wasn’t just me but also you don’t have to thank me, really. It’s because you knew me that you got into this mess in the first place.”

Aubrey assured her it was okay but at the same time Mac wordlessly placed a reassuring hand on her back to remind her that she couldn’t blame herself. Remembering that, and her earlier conversation with Mac, she calmed slightly.  
Aubrey slowly took his hand away from Riley’s and narrowed his eyes at Mac. There was a pause and, seemingly out of the blue, Aubrey asked Mac, “aren’t you in a relationship with that kickass lady over there?”

Riley looked at Aubrey confused. Where had that question come from and why? Mac looked equally surprised and confused which is why Riley supposed he answered the question rather than get annoyed at him for asking it.  
“We broke up.”

“Why?”

Riley’s head snapped back to Aubrey. Was that jealousy on his expression?  
At that question, Mac seemed to come out of his confusion and Riley felt him tense up next to her as he replied in a cold voice.  
“What’s it to you?”

Riley could’ve hugged Bozer as he called out to Mac, cutting the tension between him and Aubrey.  
“Hey Mac can you make a gag? Cyclops here is being pretty annoying.”

Desi, gun still in her hand, shrugged.  
“Hey. I offered to shut him up the old fashioned way,” and at that the man in question burst into a string of not so polite words.

Riley gave Mac a look.  
“Please go handle that or I’ll take Desi up on her offer.”  
He rolled his eyes but nodded, gave Aubrey one last look, and headed off. 

There was a slightly awkward pause between her and Aubrey but after a while he spoke up.  
“You told me you loved the job but,” after looking at Mac and back to her he slowly added, “is that the only thing you love?”  
Now that she allowed herself to admit there were some feelings involved, Riley could acknowledge how much she loved spending time with Mac, both at work and in their down time.  
But it wasn’t love. Was it?  
She wasn’t going to let Aubrey in on her inner turmoil though.

“Like I said before, I don’t like Mac that way.”  
He looked slightly doubtful this time but before she could say more to try defend herself, Mac came over.  
Though, by the way he stood close to her side and was back in his ‘alpha male’ stance, she wasn’t sure it was a good thing.

Desi, Bozer and what looked like to be a few Phoenix agents, were leaving with the men in custody and Mac, looking at her, spoke.  
“Matty sent a team over to collect these guys. Desi and Bozer are going with them because Matty wants a rundown of everything that happened.”  
Riley nodded. She had a feeling that only Desi and Bozer were going back because Matty had assumed that she'd want to stay with Aubrey, which was right, but that Mac wasn't going as well because, in this protective mode he seemed to be in, he didn't want to leave her alone.  
She didn't mind that though.

Mac turned to Aubrey.  
“Matty, our boss, is also sending a guard over who'll stay overnight.”

“I'm still in danger?”

“It's a precaution but no I don't think you are. It’s more to give you some peace of mind.”  
Aubrey looked relieved but Riley just looked at Mac. It wasn't really protocol to send a guard when someone was no longer in danger so she knew that Mac must have asked Matty for it. Riley knew it probably wasn't necessarily for Aubrey’s peace of mind, but for hers.  
Mac saw her realising and gave her a smile which she returned. 

Aubrey cleared his throat and breaking her gaze from Mac, she turned to him.  
“Well, I think we’re off now.”  
She stepped forward and pulled him into a hug which he returned equally tightly. They held each other for a few moments before finally letting go.  
“Call me if you need anything Aubrey, I mean it.”

He answered with a small smile.  
“I’ll probably take you up on that.”

Mac’s phone beeped, slightly interrupting the moment, and he read the text then looked up at her.  
“Desi and Bozer have it covered so Matty said we don't have to go in today.”  
Riley felt relieved, not sure if she could mentally deal with having to write debrief reports. 

Jerimiah, another agent, walked over towards them and said, “Matty sent me to make sure Aubrey here is okay overnight.”

“Thanks so much Jerimiah.”

He smiled at her, “no worries,” and turning to Aubrey added, “I'm just going to go around and check all the windows and other entries.”  
Aubrey thanked him and before heading off, Jerimiah spoke to her and Mac.  
“I've got it covered here, feel free to leave whenever.”

They both thanked him again and after he left to check the house, Mac gave her a tired grin.  
“C’mon, let’s go home Riles.”

She smiled and, nudging his shoulder, said, “I’m ready for some sugar and alcohol.”

Mac grinned and after thinking about it said, “I know we have beer but I think we’re gonna have to stock up on ice cream on the way home.”  
In front of them, Aubrey froze and stared at her and Mac, and Riley wondered what had happened. 

“Wait. You’re living with him?”

Ugh. Not this again. Mac frowned at Aubrey and before she could explain, Mac in a slightly cold voice said,  
“Well, if you recall, she used to live with you but since you broke up with her, she didn’t have anywhere to stay.”

Aubrey looked slightly apologetic and Riley added, “yeah, but it’s just until I find my own place.”

Aubrey gave her a small smile as an apology but before she could reply to that, Mac interjected in a slightly gruff voice.  
“But even then, you’re welcome to stay for as long as you like. After all, it’s practically your home too at this point.”  
She smiled, glad he thought that because honestly she did too, and she nudged his shoulder with hers in thanks.  
Riley didn't miss Aubrey’s slight frown at that and she lessened her smile. Judging by Mac’s frown, he didn't miss Aubrey’s reaction either. 

Riley, not ready to deal with this again, cleared her throat.  
“Well, we have to get going,” and after giving Aubrey another quick hug added, “remember, call if you need anything.”

“Yup. And thanks for everything.”

She smiled and squeezed his hand and Mac nodded at him.  
“Glad that you're okay Aubrey.”

“Thanks.”

It wasn't bursting with emotion but it had been civil enough so Riley gave a final bye and they headed towards the door.  
Before leaving Mac shouted out that they were leaving and from somewhere inside Jerimiah responded with a ‘yup!’  
She turned around to wave at Aubrey which he returned and she could feel his gaze on her as Mac put a hand on her back, leading her out. 

Desi and Bozer had gone with the team so she and Mac got into the car they had arrived in.  
Mac started the engine and she looked at him.  
“Home?”

“Ice cream first?”

She nodded and they sat in a comfortable silence for the first few minutes of the ride, but then she had to ask.  
“You don't like Aubrey?”

Mac glanced at her and then back at the road.  
“Well it's not that I don't like him… but other than his weird name -”

“Okay Angus.”

He gave a small huff of laughter.  
“Yeah well… other than that… I just don't like how he treated you Riles.”

There was a pause and Aubrey’s words that Mac liked her rung in her head. At the silence he turned to look at her before looking back on the road. Riley didn't feel quite ready to do anything about Aubrey’s words yet so, instead, she gave him a small smile and placed a hand on his arm.  
“Thanks for always having my back Mac.”

He took one hand off the wheel and covered her hand with his own.  
“Always.”

They stayed like that for a while longer and a few minutes after that, they turned into the carpark. They walked into the store together and, after the day they'd had, Riley couldn't wait to get home and spend the rest of the evening with Mac.


	3. Mac

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "So… what were you and Bozer talking about?”  
> Mac’s tone aimed for casualness but his expression and slightly tense body gave away the fact that this wasn't a random question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Multi_Fandom_Multi_Shipper for the suggestion Mac gets jealous about some new guy in Riley’s life but it's actually him. I was just planning on writing 2 chapters but they suggested that and then I had ideas so I _had_ to write it!  
> Let me know what you guys think, enjoy!

Riley was sitting with Bozer in the lab and, taking advantage of the fact it was empty, she finally brought him up to date on Mac’s interaction with Billy and Aubrey. When she finished, he leaned back in his chair laughing.  
“Gurl, he's _definitely_ jealous!”

She hesitantly agreed.  
"Yeah... I think so too.”

“I'm gonna call it, he definitely likes you Riley.”

“You really think so?”  
He raised an eyebrow and she huffed out a laugh.  
“Yeah I know. Even _I_ have to admit at this point that all the evidence says he does.”

He laughed and nodded then asked, “are you going to talk to him?”

She paused, thinking about it.  
“Originally, I didn't think I ever would but now…" she shook her head, "I don't know. Let's just say I'm considering it.”

Bozer’s voice turned slightly serious and, in a genuine tone, said, “yeah I think you should. You guys will make a perfect couple but, more than that, I know you'll both be real partners in life.”

She gave him a soft smile. It meant a lot that he, someone who knew both her and Mac well, had said that.  
“Thanks Boze.”  
He returned the smile.

“Hey guys.”  
She and Bozer sharply turned their heads, so deep in conversation that they hadn't realised Mac had come into the lab. She mustered up a smile to greet him then looked back at Bozer, the both of them sharing a look wondering how much, if any, of their conversation Mac had overheard.  
His face and voice revealed nothing however, as he spoke to her. 

“Hey Riles, Matty wants the two of us in the war room to talk about some mission."  
Her heart was racing like crazy, worried Mac might've heard but she nodded and aimed for calmness as she packed her things. She nodded at Bozer who replied with a look then followed Mac out of the lab.

Apparently he could tell that she and Bozer had been startled by his entrance because after walking through the empty corridor for a few seconds, Mac broke the silence.  
"So… what were you and Bozer talking about?”

Mac’s tone aimed for casualness but his expression and slightly tense body gave away the fact that this wasn't a random question.  
He had asked out of the blue and she wasn't expecting it so automatically replied.  
“Nothing.”

He looked at her thoughtfully and then, with an almost knowing smirk asked, “this wouldn't be like one of those _“nothing's”_ where you hide the fact that you've had a boyfriend who you live with for six months, right?”  
No it wasn't like that, it was much bigger. The fact that she was in love with Mac, one of her best friends and someone she had known for years, was a much bigger secret than Aubrey had been.

Riley knew that if she looked at Mac while replying he'd be able to tell she was lying so she kept her gaze ahead.  
“No, nothing like that.”  
Getting no response, she looked over to him and, apparently, avoiding eye contact made him more suspicious (who could've seen that coming?). It was great in the field but, unfortunately for this moment, nothing slipped past Mac.  
He paused for a moment and it seemed as if he was debating whether to say something or not. 

“I promise I wasn't trying to listen… but I heard the end of yours and Bozer’s conversation.”  
Oh no.  
Riley’s scramble to remember exactly what had been said was interrupted by Mac.  
“Whoever this new guy in your life is, I just want to make sure he's good enough for you."

Riley was confused.  
“New guy…?”

Mac glanced at her then back ahead.  
“Yeah… I heard Bozer saying that he thinks this guy feels the same way about you and that the two of you would be good together.”  
Oh.  
Mac thought it was someone else. 

Riley was debating whether to go along with it, because she didn't think she was ready for the intense conversation confessing her feelings would bring, but she also thought about Bozer saying Mac liked her back and how she should talk it out with him.  
Apparently interpreting her silence as being hesitant to talk about the ‘new guy in her life’, Mac filled the silence.  
“I get why you talked to Bozer about it. The last time I didn't handle it so well.”  
Riley was surprised by the brief flash of hurt across his face that she hadn't told him, but before she could say anything, he continued.  
“I just want to look out for you Riles. Your last two relationships didn't work out so well -”  
He hastily turned to her.  
“By no fault of yours.”  
She gave him a smile, assuring him it was okay and he relaxed as he continued.  
“I just don't want you to get hurt again.”

Riley had _no_ idea how to respond. Mac’s tone was so genuine and the strength as he said that assured Riley that he really would do whatever to get what was best for her.  
Not ready to deal with the intense feeling bubbling up in her, she, with humour in her voice, opted to say, “you know Mac, it's like you're stepping into Jack’s shoes when it comes to my love life.”

Mac made a face and didn't seem to share her lightness as he replied.  
“No, Jack sees you as his daughter, I see you as a… friend. A really good friend.”  
Had he… hesitated before saying friend?  
What was he about to say instead?  
She kept her gaze ahead, even when she could feel Mac’s on her. Her mind was filled with her earlier conversation with Bozer; how he thought Mac liked her, how she admitted she agreed, and how she was considering talking to Mac about it.  
She then thought of his past interactions with Billy and Aubrey and the question automatically bubbled out. 

“Hey Mac, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Why don't you like Billy or Aubrey?”

Riley saw surprise flitter across his expression but he answered after taking some time to think about it.  
“Well I thought Billy cheated on you so _obviously_ I didn't like him.”

“Yeah that's fair but,” she gave Mac a pointed look, “even when we found out the truth, you were still just as cold to him.”

Mac huffed out a laugh.  
“Sure. _Technically_ he didn't cheat on you because he was just luring a skip in, but doing it as part of the job in _no way_ justifies him not telling you about it.”

She had forgiven Billy but couldn't really argue with Mac’s point so moved on.  
“And Aubrey?”

Mac paused, using the movement of opening the door to the staircase to think about his answer. He ushered her in front of him before replying.  
“Well Aubrey was a nice person but he dumped you over something you had no control over. You were sworn to secrecy, literally, by the government so couldn't tell _anyone_ about your job.”

Riley nodded. Another thought crept into her mind and, though her first response was not to say it, she decided to do it anyway.  
“That's fair but… when I first mentioned Aubrey to you… you didn't seem to like him. Even though you'd never met him and knew nothing about him, you didn't seem to like him very much. The only thing you knew about him at that point was that he was my boyfriend.”  
And at that, Mac moved his gaze from her face to straight ahead of him. Riley could tell from his expression that he wanted to argue back, saying it wasn't true, but they both knew it was. 

They walked out of the stairwell and after a long pause Mac chose not to reply to that, instead saying, “basically, what it comes down to, is that… you're special Riles and one of _the most_ important people in my life -” Riley was speechless at that deceleration, “- and I just.”  
He paused, shook his head, then spoke again.  
“I just need to make sure you get the best of everything, because that's what you deserve, and making sure you have the perfect partner in life is part of that.” 

Riley was silent. _Surely_ that was confirmation enough of his feelings? She felt a burst of courage, fuelled by hope that he felt the same, and after a pause she asked him a question.  
“You want to make sure that this new guy in my life is good enough for me right?”

“Yeah.”

She had courage to say it, but not enough to look Mac in the eye while doing so, so kept her gaze ahead.  
“Do you… Do you think that _you're_ good enough for me?”  
Butterflies filled her stomach at the continued silence and she turned to see Mac's reaction.  
He had stopped a few steps back and was staring at her with his mouth slightly open. 

Riley had agreed with Bozer that Mac liked her back but in this moment of vulnerability, especially with Mac not saying anything, she wasn't too sure.  
He hadn't said, or moved, for a few seconds now and feeling like she had just made a huge mistake practically confessing her feelings, she turned ready to flee. A slow, quiet voice stopped her escape.  
“You and Bozer were talking about… _me_?”

She turned back but looked at the ground, scared of what she might see if she looked him in the eye.  
“Yeah.”

There was a pause.  
“Well… Bozer was right.”  
Riley looked up and saw a smile come across Mac’s face. It was a beautiful sight.  
“I _definitely_ like you back.”  
Warmth bubbled up in her, filling her body and seeing the grin that came on her face, Mac smiled even more.  
He walked closer to her.  
“In fact, I don't think the word ‘like’ covers just how I feel about you.”  
She beamed but as he came within arms reach his voice turned slightly more serious. 

“I don't know if I'm good enough for you Riles, but I'll definitely try.”  
Riley was shocked. Mac thought he wasn't good enough for her? How dare he.

She reached out, grabbed his hands and held them tightly against her chest.  
Mac could always read her expressions well, so Riley looked him in the eye so he could tell for himself how serious she was.  
“Mac. You're _more_ than good enough for me. Don't you dare doubt that.”  
He gave her a soft smile and, confessing a fear, she softly added, “if anything, I'm the one who's not good enough for you.”

It was Mac’s turn to look shocked and he shook his head.  
“Uh uh. If I'm good enough for you then you're _definitely_ good enough for me. And don't _you_ dare doubt that.”

She smiled at him repeating her earlier words back to her and at the force behind them. Smiling back, he continued.  
“I meant what I said before Riles, you're one of the most important people in my life so I hold you in high regard. I have for years.”  
Riley could hear the sincerity and admiration for her in his voice and read it on his expression and she couldn't help but beam back at him.  
She squeezed his hands but before she could reply, a sudden banging sound caused her to let go and they teared their gaze from each other.  
She and Mac looked at Matty through the war room windows.

“I'm glad you two have _finally_ figured out your feelings for each other, but can you lovebirds do it outside of work hours?”  
Riley just silently stared in shock at Matty and could feel Mac doing the same.  
Matty knew?

Their boss rolled her eyes at their reaction and motioned for them to come into the room. Riley was surprised Matty knew (though she didn't know why, Matty knew _everything_ ) but under the fake annoyance she had on right now, Riley could see a faint smile and she knew that Matty was supportive of their relationship.  
She looked at Mac and by the small smile on his face, knew he could tell the same.  
Mac rolled his eyes but smiled.  
“Let's go in before she changes her mind.”  
She grinned at him and they walked into the war room, ready to face whatever mission Matty had for them together.


End file.
